Vehicle-tire.



No. 696,585. Patented Apr. I, 1902.

W. H. OSTBANDER 1 VEHICLE TIRE.

(Application filad Oct 7, 1901.

(No Model.)

llNTTnn STaTns PATENT @Tmcn,

WILLIAM H. OSTRANDER, OF POUGHKEEPSIE, NEW- YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRDTO YVILLIAM TYLER SMITH, OF POUGHKEEPSIE, NElV YORK.

VEl-llCLE- TlRE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 696,585, dated April 1,1902.

Serial No. 77,897. (No model.)

To all whom, it inc /y concern:

Be it known that I,WILLIAM I-I. OSTRANDER, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at loughkeepsie, in the county of Dutchess,

5 State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Vehicle- Tircs; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled X in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

This invention relates to vehicle-tires, and more particularly to theclass of elastic tires, the object of theinvention being to provide atire which will be well adapted for use in connection with automobiles,bicycles, and similar vehicles and which in its operation will have anincreasing resistance as the pressure thereon is increased, thedifferent movements of the tire when compressed being such that thedifferent resistances are brought into action progressively.

A further object of the invention is to provide a construction of tirewhich will not be injured materially by punctures and which will bedurable, other objects and advantages of the construction being evidentfrom the following description.

In the drawings forming a portion of this specification, and in whichlike numerals of reference indicate similar parts in the several Views,Figure 1 is a view showing a portion of a tire partly in section andpartly in elevation. Fig. 2 is a transverse section through 3 5 thetire.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown awheel comprising a felly5 and spokes 6 and upon which felly is disposed the tire. The tireconsists of the tube 7, which may be formed entirely of rubber or partlyof rubber and partly of canvas, and in this tube are the sphericalpockets 8, having the communicating openings or passages 9, the centerof each of the openings being in a line passing through the centers ofthe pockets. There is thus produced a tire having a plurality ofspherical pockets and communicating cylindrical passages. In each of thepockets is disposed an inelastic ball 10, which may be of steel,aluminium, or other suitable material, the balls being somewhat smallerin diameter than the pockets in which they are disposed and being hollowto reduce their weight.

With this construction it will be seen that when the tire is initiallycompressed the spherical pockets partially collapse and the balls aremoved to the inner sides of the pockets, the tire in this action havingthe action of the cushion-tire, wherein the resiliency of the tire isutilized. Upon further compres- 6o sion of the tire the rubber iscompressed against both the inner and outer surfaces of the balls, theinner surface meaning the surface toward the center of the wheel, and asthe compression increases the rubber of the tire is squeezed between theballs to close the cylindrical passages connecting the sphericalpockets, the resistance of the tire to compression gradually increasing,so that the tire is easy-running and comfortable, sudden bu mpings andjoltings being prevented.

It will be understood that in practice modifications of the specificconstruction shown may be used and that any specific and suitablematerials and proportions may be employed for the various parts withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is-- 1. A vehicle-tire comprising an elastic tube havinga plurality of pockets, and an inelas- 8o tic body in each pocket, eachof said bodies having a diameter sufficiently less than that of itspocket to permit of partial collapse of the pocket and subsequentcompression of the body between the opposite walls thereof.

2. A vehicle-tire comprising an elastic tube having a plurality ofpockets, and an inelastic body disposed loosely in each pocket, each ofsaid bodies having a diameter sufficiently less than that of its pocketto permit of paro tial collapse of the pocket and subsequent compressionof the body between the walls of the pocket.

3. A vehicle-tire comprising an elastic tube having spherical pocketstherein, and an in- 5 elastic body disposed loosely within each pocket,each of said bodieshaving a diameter sul'iiciently less than that of itspocket topermit of partial collapse of the pocket and subsequentcompression of thebodybetweon the walls of the. pocket.

l. A vehiele-tire comprising an elastic tube having a plurality ofinelastic bodies therein, each body having a diameter sufficiently lessthan that portion of the tire in which it is disposed, to permit ofpartial collapse of the tire and subsequent compression of the bodybetween the Walls of the tire.

5. A vehicle-tire comprising a body portion of elastic material havingspherical pockets therein and intercommunicating passages, and aninelastic ballin each pocket, said balls having each a diametersufliciently less than that of its pocket, to permit of partial collapseof the pocket and subsequent compression of the ball between the Wallsof the pocket.

6. A vehicle-tire comprising a body portion of elastic material havingspherical pockets therein and intercommunicating passages,the axes ofthe passages and the centers of the pockets lying in the same circle,and an in- 20

